Cry
by seleenermparis
Summary: During the summer of their sixth year, the events of thepast years begin to weigh down on Harry at full force. Hermione seesa side of him not too many people have seen before.


"Cry"

by: S'Eleene Paris Monday, January 12, 2004

finished: Monday, February 23, 2004

rated: k

parings: Harry Potter/ Hermione Granger

synopsis: During the summer of their sixth year, the events of the

past years begin to weigh down on Harry at full force. Hermione sees

a side of him not too many people have seen before.

Disclaimer: J.K Rowling and the W.B. owns all related trade marks for

Harry Potter. (the W.B. is a time Warner company) I am just using them

in non-profit way, so I can do so with out the direct consent of either

mentioned party.

Author's notes: the song "Cry" by Mandy Moore for the motion picture

"A Walk To Remember" inspired this piece and if you listen to the piece

when you are reading it; it makes it much more fun. I hope you enjoy

it.

Acknowledgements: Let's see here...who should I thank in this one...

I think I will dedicate this one to my best friend Shavon Franklin.

She stood beside me, and in fact wanted to go and beat up someone when

they had emailed me a nasty email (aka an ex-boyfriend's girlfriend).

So, I want to thank her for her loyalty and her wonderful friendship.

Now on to the story!

God Bless,

S'Eleene Paris

The mist of the evening lifting off the ground spread across Privet

Drive and the rest of Little Whinging like a thick blanket. As the

bright sun rose off the horizon, the inhabitants began to crawl out of

their box-like houses on to their manicured lawns in order to get into

their expensive cars to travel to work.

Amongst all of this, a boy of nearly sixteen years curled up on a

lawn chair in the terrace of his aunt and uncle's home at number four

Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. He yawned and watched the

sunrise over the horizon. He had come down from his bedroom late last

night because he could not sleep; too much was on his mind.

A single tear left his eye due to lack of sleep from the night

before and he quickly whipped it away. There was no reason to show how

he really felt. "Too many people are depending on me to be strong and

defeat Lord Voldermort, but I don't know if I can...I am only a boy...

Harry...just plain Harry."

Harry Potter looked at his watch and realized the Dursleys would

be up soon. He would need to have breakfast on the table if he would

want a day without too many shouts of him being lazy and good for

nothing. He stood up and walked to the door and went inside of the

house. Once inside the kitchen, he went to the refrigerator to

prepare breakfast.

Not long after, his cousin Dudley Dursley came into the kitchen

through the back door wearing the exact same clothing he had the night

before to go out with his gang last night. To Harry, it looked as if

Dudley had stated out all night. "Morning, Duds."

Startled to hear someone was up this early in the morning, his

baggy, tired-looking eyes shot upward as he walked through the kitchen.

He stopped and turned to face Harry. Dudley heaved a sigh of relief as

he realized it was not his parents. "Oh, it's only you."

"Out all night with your gang?"

"Was is it to you?"

"Well, I could tell your mum and dad what you have been up to and

enjoy immensely as they ground you for life." Harry crossed his arms on

his chest and envisioned the idea as he said this.

"They wouldn't believe you." Dudley concluded, but it didn't sound as if he was entirely convinced by what he just said.

"Well, at least they aren't as dumb as you think they are. If you are going to be taken to drinking with your gang, Duds, you could at least take time to cover the stench." Harry waved his hand in front of his nose to prove his point. "...Or at least eat a peppermint."

"Boy! You better be down there fixing breakfast!" Harry's Uncle Vernon Dursley called from upstairs.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry called back to his uncle, then he turned to his cousin. "You'd better hurry before they find you down here..." Harry indicated where Dudley must have had gotten ill from the drink. "...before your mum and dad comes down here and finds out what you have been really up to."

At once Dudley seemed to race for the door of the kitchen, but when he did, the two boys heard Vernon and Petunia Dursley slam their bedroom door to begin their descent down the stairs. "What am I going to do, Harry? They'll be down here any minute!" Dudley, for the first time in his life, seemed to be in panic over what he should do.

Harry knew their was only one way for his cousin to get out of the

situation. Harry Potter whipped out his wand and pointed it at his cousin. "Scourgify!" soon soap bubbles came out of his mouth and cleaned Dudley up nicely. With another flick of his wand, the spell ended just as Uncle Vernon and Petunia Dursley walked into the room.

Vernon Dursley was the first to noticed his son's wet nature. "What

happened to you? Why are you all wet?"

"Dudley lost a battle with the hose pipe." Harry flipped the eggs over very casual like. "I dared him that he didn't know how to properly water the plants outside and it is rather obvious I was right."

"Then why are you standing there then, boy? Got dry off." Petunia escorted her son upstairs to sort him out and Harry sighed. This had not been the first time his cousin had come home from a long night of drinking with his gang. At least this time he had the sense to come home sober and not tried to kill him because he had confused him as a burglar. Oh, the nasty bruises he still had on his eye, ribs, and arms from the attack from a couple of nights ago. The worst part about it, Harry had to explain them to members of the Order of the Phoenix

the same night because he had been too busy to write them in the three days they allotted for no communications with them. They had thought he was being beaten.

"I tripped over the hose pipe outside. I was watering the lawn and I went to put it away and I tripped." Harry remembered how red he had turned when he told them this.

"Are you sure?" Remus Lupin had asked him. "If that is not what really happened, Harry, you know you can tell us."

"And give the muggles what they sorely deserve." Mad-eye Moody growled at Uncle Vernon, who was staring at him with every bit of dislike.

"I'm sure." for extra measure, he gave them a smile. "Really no harm done. I just got so busy with my extra school work, I just have not had the time."

"Well, if you are sure." Arthur Weasley concluded, but not entirely sure of Harry's answer being true at all. "Molly and I hope to see you, Harry, sometime before end of the summer. Good day."

The three of them had left as quickly as they had come and every night afterward, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia made sure he had written them. "Are you sure you sent them a letter today? You did send one last night didn't you?"

After breakfast, a knock came from the door. Aunt Petunia was the one who answered it because Uncle Vernon had already left for work. When Petunia opened the door, a girl with curly dirty blonde hair and cinnamon eyes looked up at her and smiled. "Hello, you must be Harry's Aunt Petunia. I'm Hermione Granger. I was wondering if Harry was here."

"What would you want to talk to him for?"

"I'm here to take him to our friends home for the rest of the summer." She smiled and once Petunia Dursley allowed her entrance, she stepped inside.

"You go to that school of his?" she asked the girl with a slight bit of interest. "But you dress just like us."

"These are just my muggle cloths. " Hermione looked down at her low-rise boot cut blue-jeans and her red tank top with silver studs in shape of a fairy on it. She wore red thong sandals to match her shirt.

"I'll go get Harry. He's up in his room." Petunia Dursley raced up the stairs and knocked on the door closest to stairs on the landing. "Boy, you have a visitor."

A few minutes later, Harry raced down the stairs to see who it was. He smiled as he found it to be the one person he had hoped to see all summer. Hermione Granger, freckles and all, stood in the doorway of the Dursley's Living room and was looking up the stairway. "Hey!" Harry raced over to her and gave her a hug. When he let go of their embrace, he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you away. Dumbledore figured that it would be

better if some muggles came and got you this time because it would be less noticeable for me then the rest of the Order of the Phoenix just incase Lord Voldermort decides to do something." Hermione smiled. "Are you all packed and ready to go?"

"No, I need to still do a couple more things."

"You want me to come up and help?" Hermione blushed as she said this, for some reason even though she had done it several times while she was at school; she blushed at the thought of entering Harry's bedroom here at his home. Harry nodded and soon the two of them raced up the stairs to begin his packing.

"So, where are we going? The Burrow? Grimmald Place?"

"No. I can't tell you, Harry," she admitted. "Too many spies for the dark side. I can't release that information at this particular moment as per Dumbledore's orders."

"Dumbledore's orders? What are you now? A member of the Order of the Phoenix?"

Hermione laughed at him. "You'll have to wait and see." An hour later, he said good-bye to the Dursleys and followed Hermione outside.

"Well, you could at least tell me how we are going to get there. I don't see your parents with their car."

"We have to get to the park before I can tell you." Harry followed Hermione to the park he had first seen Dudley and his gang last summer. Hermione picked up an aluminum soda can and offered it into his direction. "We're taking a portkey. It should be activated in a couple of minutes by Professor Dumbledore and it should take us back to where we have set up new headquarters."

A few moments later, after the usual tug at his navel from the portkey, Harry found Hermione and himself in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. Once the dizziness subsided a little, Harry noticed he and Hermione were not alone and in fact, several people were in the room, awaiting his arrival.

Professors Snape, McGonagall, Hagrid, and Dumbledore awaited him with the company of Remus Lupin and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix. All of the Weasleys were there, including Bill and Charlie, and several members of Harry's D.A. group. "Hey, mate. Glad to see you." Ron was the first one to speak to him. After that, everyone in the room embraced him.

"I do believe an explanation of why we chose Hogwarts is in order, but I think we need to get you settled in first. I am assuming you know which way it is to Gryffindor tower do you not? I believe your prefects chose an interesting password for this year." Dumbledore ushered the young Gryffindors out of his office so he could unpack before dinner.

Once the three of them reached the portrait of the fat lady in the satin pink dress, she asked them for the password. Hermione gave it with out a second thought. "Lord Voldermort is a giant git." The door opened and the trio stepped inside the tower. "We'll have to change the password once school starts, but I think it is suitable for the time being, don't you agree?"

Harry glanced around the common room and to his surprise; it was filled with other students. Harry watched as Neville Longbottom levitated a long note to Luna Lovegood and Hannah Abbot read a book at the table next to Seamus Finnegan. "Why are non-Gryffindor house members here? I thought the location of each house dormitories were kept secret from the others."

"Professor Dumbledore felt that it would be much safer if we could live closer by each other." Luna commented as she levitated the note back to Neville. "The entire school is not here, Harry. Just the ones who are the closest to you."

"The Entire D.A. is here including their families." Hermione continued. "My parents aren't, but Dumbledore has a light guard on them, just in case Voldermort decided to do anything. The Students are staying in Gryffindor tower and the parents are staying in the Hufflepuff and the Ravenclaw dormitories along with members of the Order of the Phoenix."

"Oh, Harry, I just remembered!" Ron raced up to the boys' dormitories and came back down with Harry's Firebolt. "Dumbledore made Filtch get your broom last week from the dungeons."

"But what about Umbridge's banning? I can't play remember? A life long ban, Ron, is a pretty long time."

"Fudge lifted the ban ages ago, when he took Umbridge out of office when he found out that Voldermort was back. Dumbledore made him do it, after some insisting on Professor McGonagall's part of course. Something about wanting to keep the Quidditch cup in her office or something." Ron smiled at his best friend.

"Now the boy-who-lived can play with King Weasley." Hermione grinned

and suddenly there was a round of "Weasley is our King", humming from

almost every other person in the room.

"Well all you have to do now, Hermione, is play chaser or beater and

all three of us can be on the field." Harry tossed the idea to her, but

all Hermione could do was smile.

"I'm not exactly athletic, Harry. I am not too sure if I would be any good at it." She blushed, amused at the idea that he wanted her to play with him on the team.

"I think you would be an awesome chaser." Harry continued. "With a little training, I think you might work."

"Let's wait and see how the school year starts. You never know, I just might take you up on your offer." Hermione looked at her watch and then gasped. "We should be getting settled, because dinner is in a few hours and Dumbledore said he needed to talk to you, Harry."

The group from the Gryffindor tower raced down the stairs toward the Great Hall. Ron and Hermione dragged Harry into the room and Harry was surprised to see the House tables not set up for their use. Instead, several smaller tables, round by nature, seated ten people each.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined the rest of the Weasleys (except for Percy) at their table and not too far from them, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom sat with their remaining members of their families. Harry took a deep sigh and thought on the words the Headmaster told him. As Harry feared, the war with Lord Voldermort had begun and the safest place in the entire Wizarding world was Hogwarts because of the Ministry of Magic was still in turmoil over what had happened the past

year.

Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall opened and in stepped Percy Weasley with Professor Dumbledore. Harry held his breath and Hermione gasped as the two of them came toward them. Dumbledore and Percy stopped at their table and Arthur Weasley grew red in anger. Molly came around and hugged her son with tears in her eyes. At Dumbledore's words, Arthur changed back to his normal color. "Now the Weasley family is complete. Any argument that has transpired between any of you should be forgiven. Nothing in the world should be able to tear the bond of love with in a family."

With that, Dumbledore walked away to join the other members of the Order of the Phoenix, but he did not sit down. In fact, Professor McGonagall chimed her glass to quiet the room to allow the headmaster to speak. "Students, Faculty, former students, and members of the Order of the Phoenix. I would like to announce welcome to Harry Potter and Percy Weasley. Harry started a Defense group, in which most of the students here are members of. He and his band of students will continue their studies over the summer to perfect their skills. Professor McGonagall will supervise along with Remus Lupin, but Harry Potter

is to continue teaching your children everything he knows about battling Lord Voldermort." There was a few gasps and murmurs amongst the parents about the headmaster speaking the name of the most evil wizard alive. "Especially since he has the experience to do so. Everyone tuck in and enjoy your dinner."

Later in the Gryffindor tower, Hermione Granger awoke from her sleep. She went to her window and peered outside. Amongst the black of the night, she noticed a figure throwing rocks into the lake via the moonlight. Throwing on her bathrobe on, she decided to find out who it was.

Once she made it down to the lake, the figure stopped throwing rocks and was now looking out across the lake into the night sky, deep in thought. Once she came closer, she knew exactly who the person was. The whiff of his cologne and the way his hair became messier in the light breeze, she knew it was Harry. "Harry, what are you doing up this late at night? Especially out here?"

When he turned around, she noticed the glint of a tear in his eye. He had been crying, but she knew that would be the least he admitted to. She wrapped her arms around him and allowed his emotions to burst out from inside. "I'm just Harry..." He complained. "I can't do this!"

"Harry, what can't you do?"

"Live up to the prophecy."

"What prophecy?"

"The one Voldermort was after."

"But I thought that broke and no one hear it."

"It did, but the prophecy was made before I was born to Professor

Dumbledore. He told me what it was about."

"What was it about?"

"Me."

"What about you?" Hermione looked at him with extreme interest now as she tried to look him in the eyes. Harry proceeded to tell Hermione exactly what the prophecy had in store for him. "It's either going to be you or Voldermort that dies?"

"'One cannot live while the other survives.' It's either going to be me or him."

Hermione hugged him tighter than ever before. "Harry, I know it is going to be you who lives. You just have to. I love you too much, Harry."

Shocked, Harry's eyes met hers as Hermione confessed her feelings.

"Hermione, I never knew you felt that way." It was Hermione's eyes

that began to fill with tears.

"I've tried to tell you, but I couldn't. " Hermione broke from his

embrace and began to walk the length of the lake. "I know you could never feel the same way about me because I am not as pretty or as athletic as the other girls you have dated..."

Harry knew the only way to stop her dragging herself down was to do

something drastic. He stopped her and leaned down and kissed her. Her eyes went wide in realization he was kissing her.

When they broke apart, there was no need for words. Harry smiled and the two of them walked back up to the castle together.

End.


End file.
